Are we awake Master Grodin? Ah yes sir, I was – Head in the clouds as always? Is History that Boring Matt? No Mr Cook B.. - Before I could further dig myself a deeper hole the bell went BANG BANG.
Snow had hit hard.. It was the 1st of December 1980, the excitement of Snow had dissipated. The walk back to my house from St Knives High was tedious to the core. Walking with a heavy backpack in the snow was like having a green goblin on your head shouting deeper deeper deeper, Quick sand no, slow snow.
Ridgeway Avenue had a plethora of old new England houses. One house was bright pink with big brown gates, the other was bright yellow with a broken worn out car owned by a Mr tees that seemed more worn out than the car. Matt called it Rainbow street. And then there was the Junk Yard. A place that held great wonder to Matt and his imagination, he loved to collect things, and to Matt, the Junk Yard was an Aladdin Cave of splendour just waiting to be taken! And tonight the take was on!
Matt ran up the stairs chucked his backpack in the corner and waited for his best friend to call, MATT, PHONE! He hurried down the stairs and just said, Is it on? ….
The window was the exit, it was 10pm, cold as a witch and her tit but that was not going to hold Matt back. He was to rendezvous with his best pal Mitch. Mitch was already 6 foot at 15, that is good going.
Hey man! HEY Mitch! This is going to be so cool Matt- Mister.
There it was, the Junk Yard, Old bikes, old cars, lions and tigers and bears oh cool, Bottles and toys fishing rods and coins, they were all in this old yard.
The hole is just round back here Mitch. They were a walking cliché, tip toe tip toe, the walk you made when you wanted to spy a naked woman having a shower, that walk also came with the same face, shock and excitement. They soon came to a stand still when they heard a loud cough and a rusty door open..Quick Mitch take cover! They took cover behind a beaten snow covered car. It was a man about in his late 40s from what Matt could see..An adult silhouette standing with legs apart, BOOM! Flood lights hit the ground. Matt & Mitch froze. And not because they were cold. There he stood, with a great grey beard and bold dome head, he was wearing full khaki, and holding what looked like a shotgun. Matt man we gotta shoot before he shoots! No stay down he has not seen us man...I CAN SMELL YA, YA NO! Identify ya – self! I nailed them Gook good! ...Yes sir I did, and with that said he fired his gun. YeEeEeEeEeEeEe took um all down with this here baby!
Matt man we gotta scoot this dude is crazy, Mitch he will see us and shoot us before we can make it out of here!
Come on out Boy! I gonna up me tally on ya! I took many a head off with this here gun. They came up from the ground like rats. Pop pop pop! I was search and destroy so you better come ah out before I crack skulls!
Matt, we have to come out, if he finds us hiding we are dead! Okay okay, on three we slowly walk out. One...Two...three, Mr don`t shoot we are kids!!!!
WELL WELL ..WE HAVE A GOOK AND – oh boy you are far to tall to be one of um! What are ya names! Um, this is MM Mitch and my name is M M Matt, It was freezing at this point, shaking from the cold and shaking from the fear. Why are you here Boys? Sneaking up on me like rats was ya? No sir no we just wanted to explore the yard. At 10pm, you two touched or somin?! No sir we are just stupid Matt said in a dry tone of voice, He pointed his gun at them, This was it, two less stupid boys in the world, Two headless bodies lost in the snow. Do you know what it is like to lose your friends boys? Never moving forward, living in the past, America is only proud when you win..WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN - No sir, i um i am only 13 sir. I was not that older than you when I saw my pal Richard holding his guts at Ong Thanh, like spaghetti dangling from a mouth it was, You boys like spaghetti? They stood silent with a Glazed look of shock and revulsion - You boys get on home now. Today you lost the battle, but the war still lives on, live to fight another day boys. And with that they slowly walked to the hole never looking back.
I am 36 now, I live in Philadelphia, to this day I still think about that man on that cold St Knives night, the bearded veteran. That night I collected a memory. The Junk Yard Vet. Never forgotten, and always remembered.
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